by Mark Montano
YOU’LL NEED
3 yards of 20-gauge wire
Needle-nose pliers (and wirecutters if the pliers don’t have them)
1 plastic hairband
130 plastic faceted beads
Krylon gray primer
Krylon Fusion for Plastics spray paint in Black
10 flat-back acrylic gems in either Black or a color
E-6000 glue
Toothpicks
Hint:
For process shots of this project, check out the GOLD KRYLON KROWN craft—the steps are almost identical until the end!
HERE’S HOW
Follow the same process shots and steps #1–18 from the Gold Krylon Krown project Gold Krylon Krown.
19 Spray-paint the entire crown with the black high-gloss spray paint and let dry.
20 With dabs of E-6000 on a toothpick, carefully add your acrylic gems, and let dry.
LACE AND RESIN CROWN
It was like the sky opened up when I figured out how to make this lace crown work! I had been trying to do this for a while, but I just couldn’t figure it out. Finally, my friend Jen sent me some ICE Resin (the best two-step resin on the market), so I tried it. Once the lace dried, a whole new world of crafting appeared right in front of me. (By the way, this might be PERFECT for a bride!)
YOU’LL NEED
Thick lace
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
2 large pieces of cardboard
2 feet of wax paper
Newspaper
Several straight pins
ICE Resin
Disposable paintbrush
Rubber or plastic gloves
Jacquard Lumiere Metallic paint in Silver
Optional: 2 small hair combs and E-6000 glue
HERE’S HOW
1 Design your crown. Decide what shape you prefer, and write down the measurements for how large the crown should be.
2 With tiny dabs of hot glue, glue your lace pieces together in the shape of the crown on a flat surface.
3 Carefully make a 10-inch-long tube with a piece of cardboard that will fit around your head comfortably.
4 Cover the tube with wax paper and hot-glue it to the tube so it stays in place.
5 Create two round tubes of newspaper and hot-glue them to the cardboard, parallel to one another, about 2 inches apart. This is what you will rest your tube on while the resin is drying.
6 Carefully pin your lace on top of the tube so that it takes the shape of the tube.. You can use tiny dabs of hot glue, too, but it might not stick to the wax paper. Still, give it a try.
7 Once your lace crown is in place, if you need to, review the instructions on the ICE Resin and my tips ICE Resin. Mix your resin outside using gloves. The fumes from resin can be harsh and you will need to work in a well-ventilated area. You will need about 1/4 cup for this project.
8 With your stiff paintbrush, neatly paint the resin on the lace, soaking every part of it as you go. Make sure not to miss a spot.
9 Let your project dry overnight on wax paper in a room or area of the house you don’t use (it will dry a little faster if you put it under a desk lamp). Remove it from the cardboard tubes.
10 Paint the entire lace crown with the Jacquard Lumiere metallic paint and let dry.
11 Pin in place with bobby pins, or you can glue some combs in the back to keep it secure.
THE QUEEN’S PEARL TIARA
I’m not really a betting person, but I’d bet a thousand bucks that the Queen of England runs around the house in one of these! When I finished making this crown, I put it on, bossed my assistant around for an hour, and loved every minute of it. Can you imagine if it really were her crown?! God save the Queen!
YOU’LL NEED
3 yards of 20-gauge wire
1 pink plastic hairband
40 large pearls
130 small pearls
Needle-nose pliers (and wirecutters if the pliers don’t have them)
HERE’S HOW
1 Cut five 12-inch pieces of wire.
2 Center a pearl on one piece of wire and twist twice just under the bead.
3 Separate the wires and add five small pearls to each wire and twist again to form a loop of pearls.
4 Add another pearl over both wires to cover the twisted wire.
5 Separate the wires and add five more small pearls to each wire and twist again.
6 Add another bead to cover the twist.
7 Bend the excess wire around the exact center of the hairband. Wrap those ends around the plastic hairband, with one end wrapping in one direction and the other end in the opposite direction, starting in the center and working your way out.
8 For the shorter pieces on each side of your middle piece, repeat the above process but don’t add your bottom large pearl.
9 For the next two beaded pieces repeat steps 1 through 4 and then add two small, two large, and two more small pearls, as shown below.
10 Take another 12-inch piece of wire and string approximately 20 pearls on it. This will be the strand of pearls that covers the wire wrapping on the hairband.
11 With the pearls across the hairband, wrap the excess ends of the wire around the hairband where your pearls end on each side. DON’T WORRY: Right now the pearls will not reach from end to end and there will be extra exposed wire between them. You will need this extra space for the next step.
12 Cut an 18-inch piece of wire and wrap it around the hairband in between each bead to keep them in place.
13 Adjust the fit of your beaded pieces on your crown, in case it got bent while adding your last row of pearls.
HARD AS LACE
I like seeing jewelry made of lace, but I wanted to figure how to make it last forever. I began experimenting and eventually asked myself, what if I soaked it in ICE Resin? The results were amazing. At first I let the pieces dry on plain cardboard and couldn’t get them to come off . . . and then I realized that resin won’t stick to wax paper. Once I had my technique down, the game was ON!
LACE AND RESIN CAMEO NECKLACE
I had a drama teacher in high school named Mrs. Mayhew, and she was fantastic. So full of life! What a dresser, too! She moved to our little town from a larger—and much more sophisticated—city, and you could tell. I thought she was just fantastic. I remember her wearing lace dresses and cameos at her neck, and this piece made me think of her and her wonderful antique style.
YOU’LL NEED
Lace pieces
Image for the cameo
Small tin oval (cut your own from aluminum flashing to fit your cameo)
Elmer’s Glue-All
Wax paper
Piece of cardboard big enough to accommodate necklace while it dries
ICE Resin
Disposable paintbrush
Lumiere metallic silver and turquoise paints
Small paintbrush (for the paints)
E-6000 glue
20 silver-tone jump rings
Large pin
1 yard of silver-tone chain
Needle-nose pliers (and wirecutters if the pliers don’t have them)
11 crystal beads (any kind of bead that matches will do)
1 lobster claw closure
Rubber or plastic gloves
HERE’S HOW
1 Figure out the design and size you want for your necklace and then cut the lace pieces you’ll need. Cut some extra, just in case you change your mind or want to make earrings.
2 Create the cameo by gluing the image you’ve chosen on top of your tin oval with Elmer’s glue.
3 Place some wax paper on a piece of cardboard and lay your lace pieces and cameo on top.
4 If you need to, review my instructions and tips for using the ICE Resin. Mix your resin outside using gloves. The fumes from resin can be harsh and you will need to work in a well-ventilated area. Pour resin on top of your cameo and paint your lace pieces with an old paintbrush until every piece is soaked. Let dry overnight on wax paper and in a room or area of your house that you
don’t use.
Hint:
They will dry more quickly if you leave them under a desk lamp.
5 When the lace pieces are dry, paint them with Lumiere metallic silver paint and edge it with the turquoise. (Remember, you can choose any colors you want here.)
6 With the E-6000, glue your cameo on top of the painted pieces.
7 Add jump rings to hold your lace pieces together. If you’re having a hard time finding a hole, just poke a large pin through the lace to create one.
8 Add crystals or beads with jump rings off the edges of the piece. (Place them wherever you see fit!)
9 Add equal lengths of chain to each side of your lace piece (depending on how long you want your necklace) and attach the chains to the ends of the lace with jump rings to create the necklace. Add jump rings and a lobster claw for the closure.
10 Dangle more lengths of chain with crystals from the jump ring where your necklace chain starts.
MARIE ANTOINETTE CAMEO BROOCH
You could use any image for this brooch—it depends on your taste. You could also use this project as the focal point for a choker or necklace. I call it the Marie Antoinette Cameo Brooch because the illustration I used was from that time period. Hey, you could name it the Fido Brooch or the Antique Photo of my Grandma Brooch. Your call!
YOU’LL NEED
Lace pieces
Image for the cameo
Cameo-size tin oval (cut your own from aluminum flashing)
Elmer’s Glue-All
Wax paper
Piece of cardboard big enough to accommodate piece while it dries
ICE Resin
Disposable paintbrush
8 inches of 3/4-inch ribbon
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Feathers
Pearls
Large flat-back gem
Pin back
E-6000 glue
Rubber or plastic gloves
HERE’S HOW
1 Cut the lace pieces you want to use for the backing of the brooch.
2 Create your cameo by gluing the image you’ve chosen on top of your tin oval with Elmer’s glue.
3 Place some wax paper on a piece of cardboard and lay your lace pieces and cameo on top.
4 Mix your resin outside using gloves. The fumes from resin can be harsh and you will need to work in a well-ventilated area. Pour resin on top of your cameo and paint your lace pieces with the resin until every piece is soaked through. Let them dry overnight.
Hint:
They will dry more quickly if you leave them under a desk lamp.
5 Create a small bow with your ribbon.
6 When your pieces are dry and hard, hot-glue feathers to the back of the cameo and the entire piece on top of the resin-coated lace.
7 Hot-glue your ribbon bow, pearls, and gem to your piece and let dry.
8 Finish your brooch by gluing on the pin back with E-6000 and let dry.
LACE IN PLACE
I’m not sure about you, but when I go into a trim store I start to hyperventilate. To me, it’s like magic by the yard. Need to dress up an old pillow? Head to the trim store. Need to spruce up an old frame? Trim store! How about adding a trim to last year’s skirt? . . . YES, head to the trim store. It’s my answer to almost everything. This lace was not only a bargain, it’s also a terrific way to jazz up some plain bangles.
YOU’LL NEED
Flat metal cuff about 2 inches wide (you’ll probably want to make more than one!)
10 inches of lace trim (per cuff)*
E-6000 glue
Toothpicks
ICE Resin
Wax paper
Disposable paintbrush
Rubber or plastic gloves
Small flat-back acrylic gems in colors that go with your lace
* Your trim should be a little less than 2 inches wide or one that you can cut to size.
HERE’S HOW
1 With small dabs of E-6000 on a toothpick, neatly glue your lace on your cuff and let dry. You might need to cut it and overlap it for your design.
2 If you need to, review the instructions on the ICE Resin and my tips. Mix about 1/8 cup of your resin outside using gloves. The fumes from resin can be harsh and you will need to work in a well-ventilated area.
3 Place your cuff on wax paper and apply a very light coat of resin to the bangle, making sure to soak the lace. Let dry overnight in a room or area of the house that you don’t use.
Careful:
Don’t use too much resin because we don’t want it to drip.
4 Once the resin is dry, glue on the gems in different places until you’re satisfied with how it looks.
RESIN AND LACE EARRINGS
I’ve seen tons of earrings made from lace, but they always seem really flimsy to me. I decided to make them a little sturdier so they would last a lifetime and keep their shape forever.
YOU’LL NEED
Gold lace trim that would make great earrings
ICE Resin
Wax paper
Disposable paintbrush
Rubber or plastic gloves
Drill with 1/16-inch drill bit
2 gold-tone earring wires
2 gold-tone jump rings
Needle-nose pliers (and wirecutters if the pliers don’t have them)
HERE’S HOW
1 Cut lace pieces in the shapes you want for your earrings.
2 If you need to, review the instructions on the ICE Resin and my tips. Mix your resin outside using gloves. The fumes from resin can be harsh and you will need to work in a well-ventilated area. Put your lace pieces flat on some wax paper and then pour a small amount of resin on top of them so that they are coated but the resin is not running off the edges. Use a brush to smooth it out. Let dry overnight in a room or area of the house that you don’t use.
3 When the resin is dry, drill holes for the jump rings.
4 Attach earring wires to the jump rings.
GILDED LACE CUFF
So easy to make, and the best way to reuse an old bangle that might be tarnished! I think that this cuff would look great in almost any color. Use embroidered lace and watch it seem to transform into metal!
YOU’LL NEED
1 piece of embroidered lace or lace trim about 6 inches long
3-inch flat metal cuff
E-6000 glue
Toothpicks
ICE Resin
Wax paper
Disposable paintbrush
Rubber or plastic gloves
Krylon gray primer
Krylon metallic gold
HERE’S HOW
1 Using small dabs of E-6000 on a toothpick, glue your lace onto your cuff, just to keep it in place.
2 If you need to, review the instructions on the ICE Resin and my tips. Mix your resin outside using gloves. The fumes from resin can be harsh and you will need to work in a well-ventilated area. Place your cuff on wax paper and brush on the resin, making sure to coat it thoroughly so the lace soaks up all the resin. Let dry overnight in a room or area of the house that you don’t use.
3 After the resin is set and your lace is hard as a rock, spray your cuff with the gray primer.
4 Spray your cuff with the metallic paint and let dry.
PAPER TURQUOISE
When you start writing a craft book and discover a brand-new technique, it’s often hard to stop and move forward with other chapters because you’re having way too much fun. That’s what happened here. I made paper turquoise for weeks. I would start a batch, and then work on something else . . . and then immediately start another batch. I was obsessed. I hope you love this technique as much as I do. If you get your pieces just right, no one will know the difference, and they’ll wonder how you found such a beautiful piece with such amazing stones.
MAKING PAPER TURQUOISE
In a recent conversation with my mother, she told me that my younger brother Nate made a chunk of paper turquoise and put it on a macaroni necklace when he was in grade school, and it stopped peo
ple in their tracks when my mother wore it. So, apparently I’m old news. Still, this was just too fun not to share! By the way, this is the most fun I’ve ever had recycling. If you’re impatient like me, I recommend drying these under a desk lamp.
YOU’LL NEED
Newspaper
Scissors
Blender
Elmer’s Glue-All
Strainer with screen, (not holes) big enough to accommodate 1 batch
Wax paper
Acrylic paints in red, green, turquoise, blue, and black
Paintbrushes
Rags
Minwax Polycrylic clear coat
Optional: Desk lamp
HERE’S HOW
1 Cut three large sheets of newspaper into strips about 1/2 inch wide.
2 Fill your blender about halfway with water and add shredded newspaper. Let it sit for about half an hour.
3 Blend the newspaper until you have mushy gray water.
4 Pour the mixture into the strainer and drain out about 90 percent of the water. At this point you can pick up the paper and squeeze out most of the rest of the water.